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Components of a magnet
First, a distinction must be made between natural metals or artificially manufactured magnets.
- Magnetic iron stone occurs in nature as a natural mineral. It is also called magnetic iron or magnetite and is one of the most powerfully magnetic minerals.
- The everyday magnets - as we know them from the trade - are manufactured artificially. And through alloys.
Alloy: The mixture that is created when two or more metals are mixed or melted with one another.
Magnets that are artificially made are made of ferromagnetic materials. Iron, for example, is such a substance. However, iron alone is not sufficient for a permanent magnet, as it can be easily demagnetized. Therefore an alloy is required, i.e., a mixture of several metals.
What materials are used in magnet manufacture
Different combinations are possible. Alloys often consist of iron combined with aluminum, cobalt, and nickel.
Iron, nickel, and cobalt are the only metals that are magnetic in their pure form.
The knowledge of magnetic components begins with the classification of the substances:
- Diamagnetic substances are water, zinc, and copper (which migrate out of a magnetic field and only slightly weaken it)
- Paramagnetic substances are aluminum and oxygen. They do not lead to any change in the magnetic fields. Even if all substances are influenced by them and vice versa.
- Ferromagnetic substances are those that strengthen magnetic fields - more precisely, they strengthen the flux density of a magnetic field.
Components of permanent magnets
Permanent magnets (also called permanent magnets) are manufactured using metallic alloys made from iron, nickel, aluminum, as well as cobalt, copper, manganese and other materials.
These permanent magnets are used, for example, in compasses, headphones and microphones and thus differ from other, simple holding magnets.
As their name suggests, permanent magnets retain their magnetization over a long period of time.
- In the past, permanent magnets were made from steel, but they were rather weak and easy to demagnetize.
- Aluminum-nickel-cobalt, on the other hand, can be used at up to 500 degrees Celsius, but has a lower energy density.
- Ferrite is another material that magnets are made of. They are cheaper to manufacture, but relatively weak with a maximum use temperature of 250 degrees.
Rare earth magnets
- Neodymium-iron-boron: is probably the most common magnet mixture. Magnets made from this material are very strong and cheaper than others.
- Samarium-Cobalt magnets. Due to the high iron content, they enable a high energy density and service temperature, but are more expensive.
Plastic magnets
These are non-metallic plastics with permanent magnetic properties.
Components of an electromagnet
In electromagnets there are also one or two coils, often provided with a core made of soft magnetic material. These create a stronger magnetic field, also known as electromagnetism. Very often the coil of electromagnets also contains an iron core that makes the magnetic field stronger.
Good to know: The electromagnet components and the field lines (imaginary lines that describe the strength of the magnetic field) determine how strong a magnetic field is.